My trusty Epos es14s (mk2) are about to step down after some solid service. Great speakers but are beginning to age (like the best of us). I have whittled by choice down to the following (pending some listening tests) …
Harbeth M30s (30.1 second hand?)
Spendor Classics (3/1 or 2/3 second hand)
ProAc D2 or D1
I am thinking second hand but could go new if budget allows. I am curious to know if anyone has any thoughts on choices. The es14s are/were great and I am hoping a significant step up in quality. The speakers are over 30 years old! Any thoughts welcome.
Absolutely love the ubiquitous ES14’s
Ours are also used with olive NAC72 - HC - NAP140….
So completely understand your reticence to move on from your classic Epos stand mounts.
Have you thought about breathing new life into those venerable old stalwarts, then go again for another 30+ years. Maybe speak with Andrew at Anapeach.
Can you say anything about your source(s)
What’s your budget?
What is the listening room size and environment?
Thanks for the responses. Room size is 5m x 4m with the speakers facing into the longer length. Seating position quite central. Sources are rega rp8 (love it), rega Saturn (great) and naim streamer nd5 xs2 (still not won over, ears tire quickly). Budget is flexible. I am looking around £2/2.5 for second hand. I retire in a few years and can possibly double budget and consider new … so I have a bit of time to experiment before making a big decision. I’ve ruled out floor standers due to room size and don’t enjoy things too loud. Soft and subtle!
I hadn’t considered revamping the epos’s, so many thanks for suggestion. I’ll check out other suggestions
I can vouch for the suggestion made by @ratrat to check out Andrew at Anapeach. I had my Epos ES 14’s refreshed by him (new crossover caps, foam seals and a few other bits) and they sound as good as new. Very meticulous service and reasonable prices. I would only consider replacing mine if the bass drivers go (those are no longer repairable/replaceable items). I was advised by my local Naim dealer that I’d need to be looking at spending around £3500 for a pair of new speakers of equivalent quality to the ES 14’s. I posted some pictures of the refurbishment in the ES14 thread here.
Refurbishing the Epos’ sounds like a good idea but, if you were anxious about their long-term health, you might want to have a look at the new Linn 119s.
I used to have ES14s which I ran with an LP12 and 42/110, and that was a cracking combination - I get why you like the speakers, they are difficult to replace, but I recently heard the new Linn 150s and 119s being driven by a Supernait and thought they were terrific. I’d personally go for the floor standers, as the footprint is pretty much the same and they’re not particularly large in any case, but I think they’d appeal to anyone who likes ES14s. The 119s are £2500
Given what others have said, and the excellence of the ES14, if you are happy with the sound signature, I’d go ahead and get them refurbished. It will be a lot cheaper than getting new speakers. And with the money saved, get an Olive 250. As I recall, it’s the amplifier the 14s were designed with.
I don’t know the ProAc’s but from what I know of Harbeth and Spendor speakers (I’ve briefly owned a pair of Spendors) they offer a very different presentation to ES14’s. Have you considered the Epos ES7N or ES14N? If you are so keen on your ES14’s then I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned these. They seem like the obvious choices to me. It’s certainly where I would start looking anyway.
The ES14N seems to have as much in common with the ES14 as the current Mini has to the ‘60s original. I’d keep the genuine articles and have them refurbed.
I used ES14s for many years in a LP12,CDI,82,Supercap and 250 system they were rather good and a difficult speaker to move on from I tried SBLs the ES14s stayed eventually replaced by a pair of Heybrook Sextets.
I don’t really know anything about the ES14N. It seems to have good reviews and I thought it would be a logical starting point at least. What’s wrong with it do you think?
I’m sure they are perfectly good. The point I was making is simply that they are nothing to do with the original. Rather like an EE switch being nothing like a train. It’s just a historic name resurrected.
Interesting discussion unfolding here…
FWIW, went to find a new Epos ( Fink Team) dealer and auditioned the new ES14N.
IMHO, It’s actually a nice speaker and has certain positive attributes that make it worth while being on anyone’s short list at that price point.
But, at the same time, not really sounding anything like the original, (which we have at home).
So, although a capable modern speaker design, we concluded didn’t really need another stand mount speaker, which was maybe more “fussy” with its room placement - with rear ports, so best placed a reasonable distance from any wall boundary behind, etc - as we already have a pair of those ( the originals ). In the end, we went in a different direction and looked at floor-standing alternatives in the £4-5k bracket, which i think is the kind of budget needed to do better - outperform - the original ES14’s.
If the OP is interested, this is an interesting journey that might help inform his current situation. Feel free to follow links to relevant threads on my profile …
There is also a separate thread " Epos ES14’s anyone", which is a celebration of this brilliant and much loved classic speaker, with various mentions of which speakers - people have moved onto to - after owning and enjoying the ES14’s for longer periods
From what I can gather looking at reviews, the new ones are a more even handed design and better all-rounders than the originals. But they lack some of the special strengths of the originals and also some of their weaknesses. It seems to be the way of so much hi-fi these days. The dangerous and daring products are few and far between, and safety and inoffensiveness rules. I guess it’s what the majority of people much prefer, and perhaps always preferred, judging by the poor sales of Naim speakers. Give me the maverick products any day though.
Speakers generally can keep working brilliantly for much longer than 30 years (my old IMF RSPMs are still going strong at about 56, however they did need new supertweeters in their early to mid 40s as one had a fault (possibly due to overload), and I recapped the crossovers at the same time). However if you are thinking about not changing for another 30 years or more than there may indeed be logic in changing. Or of course to get better ones!
Many thanks for the considered responses. I’m glad I asked the question as replies have opened up a few avenues I hadn’t considered.
First up, I hadn’t thought of a refresh/refurb as I didn’t anticipate there would be dedicated reputable expert to do this. I will go down this route for sure. As I mentioned, they are a hard speaker to let go. More so since it will be expensive to keep up the standard. I had spotted similar comments (£3-5k to replace) elsewhere on the Naim forum.
There are also a few other speakers to consider (Linns, Kudos, the ES14N’s …). I have a bit of time to check these out. I am a long way from Hifi dealers so home testing will be challenging. I will be relying on listening rooms in hifi dealers when I am on the road. I’ll also be relying on reviews and discussion threads! All said, I have a few years to play around before I commit to a big spend.
I also hadn’t considered the olive 250. There are so many temptations out there.
